Although the present invention is described with reference to an aircraft having a fuselage of monocoque construction, the present invention is not restricted thereto.
The fuselage of commercial aircraft is produced using a so-called monocoque construction. An outer skin of the fuselage here forms the force-bearing structure. Longitudinally acting forces and torsional forces acting perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction in the circumferential direction are transferred inter alia from the wings, the engines and the stabilizing unit into the outer skin. The high mechanical rigidity of the outer skin with respect to the acting forces is achieved by virtue of the substantially tubular structure of the fuselage, that is to say a structure having a circular or elliptical cross section. Within the monocoque structure are provided longitudinally extending stringers and frames which are arranged transversely to the stringers and which correspond to the cross section of the fuselage. The stringers and frames prevent the possibility of bulges or dents being formed in the skin which could reduce the mechanical load-bearing capacity of the outer skin with respect to longitudinal, transverse or torsional forces.
The construction of a monocoque fuselage is based primarily on its mechanical rigidity, which means that the aerodynamic properties of the fuselage are adversely affected to some extent or that they always entail a compromise being made.
One or more engines can be arranged in a tail section. These engines require specific air inflow conditions for optimum operation. In principle, air can be caused to flow in a targeted manner by providing the outer skin with an aerodynamic design. However, the aerodynamic design and the design in terms of the mechanical rigidity of the outer skin can typically be combined only to a limited extent.